2011

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    Chthonic – Takasago Army (2011)

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    The Taiwanese Melodic/Symphonic Black Metaliers of Chthonic have been around for over 15 years and with every new album they have been improving their music by huge leaps. “Takasago Army” marks the band’s latest release and it’s probably their strongest one to date. Having released their last two albums on Spinefarm records, the band has been taking advantage of better production values to deliver their crushing music to the masses.

    While there are heaps of Symphonic Black Metal bands, there are only very few that can rock out the Erhu (traditional two-stringed instrument, similar to a violin) and deliver punishing tunes with it. The similarities to bands like Cradle of Filth (vocals and symphonic elements) are evident, but this extra traditional element adds that extra originality that bands need these days to be distinguished from the rest.

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    Leprous – Bilateral (2011)

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    Having been introduced to Leprous because they are the ‘live band’ of ex-Emperor Ihsahn’s solo project, the band never ceases to amaze me with their very intricate and well crafted release. “Bilateral” marks the band’s latest and third release and it is very impressive, good enough to be the best Progressive Metal album of 2011.

    Featuring ten expertly composed songs, the band draws influences from 70’s prog and delivers a very dynamic and multi-textured album that will impress any prog listener. Particularly the synth and guitars create a very pleasant atmosphere that eases the listener through each track. The soaring vocals of Einar Solberg mixed with the backing ones create a multi-leveled attack that is as effective as any of the big-name bands of the genre.

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    Ogen – Black Metal Unbound (2011)

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    As we are going through our never ending queue of albums to review, today we have Ogen’s debut EP titled “Black Metal Unbound”. Without needing a very high IQ we can figure out that the Italian duo of Ogen play Black Metal. Coming seemingly out of nowhere, this two-man band delivers one of the best Black Metal releases we have heard in this 2011. Featuring intricate riffs and powerful melodies, the band does not fuck around when it comes to creating punishing BM compositions.

    “Shattered Earth Volcano” opens this album with dominating riffs and very nicely paced drumming. This song marks the beginning of a set of five tracks that encompass many styles of Black Metal all in a well executed package. Since this song we can hear the Satyricon, Old Mans Child’s, and Emperor influences all around the music, but never sounding like a rip-off.

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    Myrath – Tales of Sands (2011)

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    When we add albums to our review queue we usually add a few and spin them one after the other, in the case of Myrath’s “Tales of Sands”, we haven’t been able to stop listening consecutively to this excellent release. Featuring 11 tracks (45 minutes) of excellent Progressive Metal with oriental/middle-eastern influences unlike you ever heard before (maybe a bit like the newer Orphaned Land stuff but way better), this album will surely blow you away.

    In our endless search for unique sounding music, Myrath has instantly written their name in our very selective list. The band manages not only to produce a good Progressive Metal album, but also to fuse their own oriental influences very nicely into the overall scheme of things and create a very fresh and dynamic sound. Being a combination of their two previous releases, which we immediately went and found to make a more informed review, “Tales of Sands” shows great maturity in the band’s songwriting skills.

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    Edguy – Age of the Joker (2011)

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    After Edguy getting split-decisions (very good/very bad) in the band’s last few full-length releases, today we have “Age of the Joker”, another release that will surely polarize fans even more. It is hard to imagine that people are still expecting the older Power Metal approach to things that Edguy had in their first few albums, particularly after the last 2 releases have been heading in the same direction: 80’s styled Metal. So haters will be haters and trash this release, but if you actually give it a chance, you will find some pretty good tunes and an overall very solid release.

    The hard-rocking “Robin Hood” delivers a powerful introduction to this release. With its new psychedelic elements, this track is pretty much a continuation of where the band left off on “Tinnitus Sanctus” and incorporates the recent Avantasia sounds as well. As you can expect we have very epic chorus sections and Tobias Sammet’s amazing voice paired with very well crafted music. The buildup section around the fourth minute mark is excellent and allows the song to nicely grow.

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    Mr. Death – Descending Through Ashes (2011)

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    One year after the release of their highly entertaining EP “Death Suits You”, old-school Death Metal is back with another Mr. Death release. With a very traditional Swedish old-school DM sound, this group of Swedes deliver 10 songs of nostalgic sounding music that should appeal to all fans of older Entombed, Grave, Dismember, and similar bands.

    With a dirty and gritty sound, Mr. Death rolls through the songs in this release featuring a hefty amount of catchy riffs and headbanging moments. Since the opener “To Armageddon”, we can hear the raw distorted guitars nicely fit with the organic-sounding drumming. Most songs of this release are pretty straightforward and effortlessly re-capture the guitar/vocal sound of old-school bands with a twist of modern production values.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Svarttjern - Towards the Ultimate (2011)

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    Hailing from Norway, today we have Svarttjern and their crushing second full-length release “Towards the Ultimate”. With nine tracks of hectic Black Metal with some Death Metal influences, Svarttjern delivers very powerful blows in each song and has no problems mixing melody into their aural assaults.

    Featuring HansFyrste of Raganarok fame on vocals, Svarttjern will take you for a journey into the bowels of hell with very well crafted songs that do not get too repetitive as the album progresses. In the opener “Breathing Soil”, the band does not waste any time and delivers powerful guitar riffs, hyper-fast drums and hellish vocals. This song reminds us of the good years of Satyricon, and it will leave a great impression on you too.

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    Sabaton – World War Live – Battle of the Baltic Sea (2011)

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    Sabaton has to be one of Power Metal most popular and exciting bands of these days. After the crushing release of “Coat of Arms” one year ago, the band gives us an excellent double live CD from their latest tour. In the CD we got from Nuclear Blast, we have 15 tracks showcasing the live power of Sabaton and delivering almost 80 minutes of their epic War-inspired Power Metal.

    Shortly after a momentum gaining intro, “Ghost Division” sneaks up on you like a punch to the kidneys. Here you can listen to Joakim Bróden’s pipes ripping through the song just like it was recorded on the album. The epic chorus sections are here and the pounding guitars sound like a million dollars. The epicness continues with tracks like “Uprising”, “Aces in Exile”, and by the time we get to “Cliffs of Gallipoli” we are all-out head banging in our review room.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Doro – 25 Years In Rock (2011)

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    After some years in the pipeline, fans will finally get to have in their hands the double DVD/CD boxed set of 25 anniversary show of the queen of metal: Doro Pesch. While we are reviewing only the CD portion of this legendary show full of guest appearances, we are supper excited to get to see the DVD portion once it is released in North America.

    In terms of the CD only we are a bit disappointed by the track selection (CD only has 10 tracks and one intro), but it does cover some of Doro’s greatest hits and also is missing a lot of the newer ones. Also, only a few of the guest appearances made it into the CD (3 out of the 10 tracks), making it pale in comparison to the actual live DVD’s.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sarah Jezebel Diva – The Corruption of Mercy (2011)

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    After the downright horrendous “A Sign of Sublime”, Sarah Jezebel Diva (and company) returns with a redeeming album titled “The Corruption of Mercy”. Featuring 10 tracks of pretty solid Symphonic/Gothic Metal, Sarah delivers a great vocal performance with catchy songs and a considerably better sound than in her first album.

    Opening with “No Paragon of Virtue”, we have very powerful guitar work and hectic drumming paired with nice vocal arrangements and a thick keyboard atmosphere. This song at times sounds like Black Metal song and we totally dig this more aggressive approach to thing from the band. In a more symphonic fashion we have “The World Won’t Hold Your Hand”, a very melodic song that showcases Sarah’s talents very dynamically.

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